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Read This to Look Cool: Essays and Overthinkings
This book won't fix you, but imagine how cool you'll look carrying it around…
Maeve Dunigan has poured a lifetime of effort into seeming effortlessly chill. The results have been… mixed. Nonetheless, Maeve still believes she's one pair of leather pants, one perfect use of the word "bespoke," and one jar of expensive olives away from self-actualization. She'll never stop trying, no matter how bespoke things get. (Nailed it!)
With razor-sharp wit and unflinching honesty, Maeve shares her own misadventures—like the time she quietly and painfully endured a ruptured appendix at McDonald's so she wouldn't come off as dramatic—and explores the universal desire to belong (along with the comedic pitfalls of trying to do so). She invites readers into her world of One Direction fanfiction authorship, passive-aggressive yogurt mind games, and the everyday anxieties that come with living in the age of constant visibility.
As cringe-inducing as it is uproarious, Read This to Look Cool is a deeply relatable testament to the hilarity and vulnerability of modern life and a meditation on the everyday absurdity inherent in the constant performance of ourselves, offering a fresh perspective on self-acceptance and the true meaning of cool.
Maeve Dunigan has poured a lifetime of effort into seeming effortlessly chill. The results have been… mixed. Nonetheless, Maeve still believes she's one pair of leather pants, one perfect use of the word "bespoke," and one jar of expensive olives away from self-actualization. She'll never stop trying, no matter how bespoke things get. (Nailed it!)
With razor-sharp wit and unflinching honesty, Maeve shares her own misadventures—like the time she quietly and painfully endured a ruptured appendix at McDonald's so she wouldn't come off as dramatic—and explores the universal desire to belong (along with the comedic pitfalls of trying to do so). She invites readers into her world of One Direction fanfiction authorship, passive-aggressive yogurt mind games, and the everyday anxieties that come with living in the age of constant visibility.
As cringe-inducing as it is uproarious, Read This to Look Cool is a deeply relatable testament to the hilarity and vulnerability of modern life and a meditation on the everyday absurdity inherent in the constant performance of ourselves, offering a fresh perspective on self-acceptance and the true meaning of cool.
1 pages, Audio CD
First published May 12, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
June 17, 2026
Full disclosure: I won a free ARC of this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
So I loved this book. It was amazing and funny in all of the right ways. But it's a collection of essays, so it's going to be tough to review. Can't summarize the plot because there isn't one. On the plus side, I don't have to worry about spoiling anything.
What makes it so good is the Maeve Dunigan point of view, and that's really tough to convey for anyone who isn't Maeve Dunigan. She might possibly argue that it's difficult even then …
There's a moment early in the book where she's talking about bras, how expensive they can be, and how hard it is to find one that's comfortable. Or maybe it was the moment where she talks about writing One Direction fanfic. Or the chickens. Or her aunt's association with John Waters. There was a moment where I fell in love with her writing and thought, “I really love this book. “ I'm pretty sure it was earlier than at least most of those moments, actually, but I wanted to make sure you knew that I'd been paying attention when I read the book. Looking cool is all well and good, but there might be a test later …
This is one of those books where you'll be chasing after people you know and reading them passages from the book. You'll start with a paragraph, but before you know it, you'll have read them several full essays. Something about her prose and her sense of comic timing on the page makes it irresistible. One of the best essay collections I've read in a while! Highly recommended!
So I loved this book. It was amazing and funny in all of the right ways. But it's a collection of essays, so it's going to be tough to review. Can't summarize the plot because there isn't one. On the plus side, I don't have to worry about spoiling anything.
What makes it so good is the Maeve Dunigan point of view, and that's really tough to convey for anyone who isn't Maeve Dunigan. She might possibly argue that it's difficult even then …
There's a moment early in the book where she's talking about bras, how expensive they can be, and how hard it is to find one that's comfortable. Or maybe it was the moment where she talks about writing One Direction fanfic. Or the chickens. Or her aunt's association with John Waters. There was a moment where I fell in love with her writing and thought, “I really love this book. “ I'm pretty sure it was earlier than at least most of those moments, actually, but I wanted to make sure you knew that I'd been paying attention when I read the book. Looking cool is all well and good, but there might be a test later …
This is one of those books where you'll be chasing after people you know and reading them passages from the book. You'll start with a paragraph, but before you know it, you'll have read them several full essays. Something about her prose and her sense of comic timing on the page makes it irresistible. One of the best essay collections I've read in a while! Highly recommended!
might-read
June 22, 2026Coming from Sam’s recommendation on Jet lag
May 25, 2026
Finished this in one sitting on a plane and found myself having to hold back laughing out loud multiple times. For better or for worse, this book definitely made me feel seen!
June 2, 2026
HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY! "Read This to Look Cool" opens by suggesting various ways and places to hold the book (to look cool), with apologies to the Kindle and audiobook readers. It's a fun-filled romp inside the head of a young woman with an amusing way of seeing the world. This "memoir" has a few childhood and school-age reminiscences, and early work internships, plus general young adult stuff that I found entertaining. Perhaps I would not have sought out such a deep dive on Scooby-Doo, but it was still funny, and I can certainly relate to going down a rabbit hole in research to assert a point. Maeve also makes some of her childhood pain a laughing matter in an inviting, self-effacing, and humorous way. Her audiobook narration is excellent. 4.5 stars. I look forward to reading more from this author.
My thanks to the @MaeveDunigan, publisher, @TantorMedia, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook of #ReadThistoLookCool for review purposes. It's available today (2 June 2026)!
My thanks to the @MaeveDunigan, publisher, @TantorMedia, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook of #ReadThistoLookCool for review purposes. It's available today (2 June 2026)!
May 30, 2026
I won a physical copy of Read This to Look Cool from a Goodreads giveaway, and I am so glad I did. I grabbed the audiobook from NetGalley so I could listen while highlighting and tabbing pages in the ARC. I wasn’t sure I would relate to Maeve, since she’s a good decade younger than me (I think), but thankfully I was absolutely wrong. This was hilarious, and I laughed out loud nearly every chapter. She manages to make even the most mundane, everyday situations relatable and funny. The chapters are short, which makes for a fast-paced reading experience.
Maeve Dunigan narrates this herself. I feel it’s perfect for the book since it’s her own voice.
Thank you to Goodreads & Sourcebooks for the physical ARC, and to NetGalley & Sourcebooks Audio for the ALC.
Maeve Dunigan narrates this herself. I feel it’s perfect for the book since it’s her own voice.
Thank you to Goodreads & Sourcebooks for the physical ARC, and to NetGalley & Sourcebooks Audio for the ALC.
July 9, 2026
absolutely loved this book!! i’ve always thought that maeve is a fantastic and funny writer, so i was really looking forward to reading this!
i really enjoyed all of the essays! she made me giggle a lot, and i also cried a couple times of course
i think she did such a great job of making this book so fun and so sweet. also i feel like a lot of the things she wrote about were relatable so it was really comforting too. also it was just a really silly experience reading about someone’s life in the place that you also grew up in. like i totally forgot about the “i did this to me” video despite my sister always referencing that when we were younger… so crazy!
i hope i looked really cool while reading this! i’m so excited to read her future books!!
i really enjoyed all of the essays! she made me giggle a lot, and i also cried a couple times of course
i think she did such a great job of making this book so fun and so sweet. also i feel like a lot of the things she wrote about were relatable so it was really comforting too. also it was just a really silly experience reading about someone’s life in the place that you also grew up in. like i totally forgot about the “i did this to me” video despite my sister always referencing that when we were younger… so crazy!
i hope i looked really cool while reading this! i’m so excited to read her future books!!
June 22, 2026
Funny at times, but mostly an overstuffed collection of well-trod middle class nostalgia that you’ve seen many times before and often with far better presentation.
This is a very safe collection of essays, not too deep, not particularly original, and while occasionally funny, it feels forced more often than not and never touches on anything that this era’s memoirish essay collections haven’t already beaten into the ground.
When Dunigan hits on something a bit more unusual, she’s fun to read. Her casual, conversational tone is a good fit for the material and she’s got some good jokes in her.
But she spends entirely too much time rehashing things that have been done (and done better) by many other writers, and devotes entirely too much space to the kind of banal middle class nostalgia that is only interesting if it belongs to you.
There’s an entire chapter about how much the author loved Glee when she was in the eighth grade. Could you write an interesting personal essay about a youthful relationship to Glee? Absolutely, but this isn’t it. It’s a lot of common opinions with surface-level analysis of a show that has already been analyzed well past the point of usefulness.
Also disappointing are the little interstices between chapters where Dunigan is essentially just riffing. Almost none of this was funny and there is a lot of it to slog through. Some of these bits are grating to the point of obnoxiousness (the email signatures, yikes), and none of them are especially observant or sophisticated comedy.
Dunigan certainly has some talent as a writer and occasionally she really hits on a piece of observational humor, but mostly this collection was entirely too safe and entirely too shopworn to be a worthy read.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
This is a very safe collection of essays, not too deep, not particularly original, and while occasionally funny, it feels forced more often than not and never touches on anything that this era’s memoirish essay collections haven’t already beaten into the ground.
When Dunigan hits on something a bit more unusual, she’s fun to read. Her casual, conversational tone is a good fit for the material and she’s got some good jokes in her.
But she spends entirely too much time rehashing things that have been done (and done better) by many other writers, and devotes entirely too much space to the kind of banal middle class nostalgia that is only interesting if it belongs to you.
There’s an entire chapter about how much the author loved Glee when she was in the eighth grade. Could you write an interesting personal essay about a youthful relationship to Glee? Absolutely, but this isn’t it. It’s a lot of common opinions with surface-level analysis of a show that has already been analyzed well past the point of usefulness.
Also disappointing are the little interstices between chapters where Dunigan is essentially just riffing. Almost none of this was funny and there is a lot of it to slog through. Some of these bits are grating to the point of obnoxiousness (the email signatures, yikes), and none of them are especially observant or sophisticated comedy.
Dunigan certainly has some talent as a writer and occasionally she really hits on a piece of observational humor, but mostly this collection was entirely too safe and entirely too shopworn to be a worthy read.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
June 24, 2026
This is one of my favorite kinds of books. Little essays, funny, sometimes different formats, a life lesson or two, made me cry 2 times.
June 23, 2026
This encompasses the whole spectrum of “funny writing,” from “wry and witty” to “insane cackling laughter.” Pretty impressive given that most writing branded as “funny” is seldom even somewhat amusing, let alone actually funny.
June 7, 2026
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
Maeve Dunigan has spent, by her own account, a lifetime of effort trying to seem effortlessly chill. The results have been mixed. Read This to Look Cool is the record of that effort, and it is both funnier and more honest than the title suggests.
This is a humor essay collection, thirty-odd standalone pieces ranging from the absurdist to the quietly personal, many originally published in McSweeney's. The format suits Dunigan's voice exactly. She writes in the register of very online, very self-aware modern comedy: specific, deadpan, occasionally unhinged, and always just self-deprecating enough to feel warm rather than performed. The humor is consistent across the whole collection, which is harder than it sounds.
Most essay collections peak early and coast. This one doesn't.
My favorite piece is "Email Signatures in Ascending Order of How Nervous I Am to Be Emailing You." It's a stream of consciousness that a lot of us have lived through and thought about writing down and never did. Dunigan wrote it down. That's the whole joke and also the whole point: she takes the specific texture of modern anxiety and makes it funny without defusing it. You laugh because it's true, not because it's been safely resolved into a punchline.
The essays are standalone, which means you can drop in and out without losing anything. That also means the collection doesn't build toward anything in particular, which is either a feature or a limitation depending on what you want from the format. I found it freeing. Each piece asks only for the attention it takes to read it, nothing more.
Dunigan is genuinely likeable on the page. She is not trying to be cool, despite the title, and that lack of trying is what makes her affable rather than exhausting. She writes about belonging, self-performance, the absurdity of modern visibility, and the universal experience of doing embarrassing things and then thinking about them for the rest of your life. She also hates tomatoes. I relate to this on a personal level. She at least tried to like them. I have not extended that courtesy.
This is not my usual reading territory but Dunigan made it easy to be in. Modern, witty, quick, and honest in the specific way humor has to be honest to actually land.
Maeve Dunigan has spent, by her own account, a lifetime of effort trying to seem effortlessly chill. The results have been mixed. Read This to Look Cool is the record of that effort, and it is both funnier and more honest than the title suggests.
This is a humor essay collection, thirty-odd standalone pieces ranging from the absurdist to the quietly personal, many originally published in McSweeney's. The format suits Dunigan's voice exactly. She writes in the register of very online, very self-aware modern comedy: specific, deadpan, occasionally unhinged, and always just self-deprecating enough to feel warm rather than performed. The humor is consistent across the whole collection, which is harder than it sounds.
Most essay collections peak early and coast. This one doesn't.
My favorite piece is "Email Signatures in Ascending Order of How Nervous I Am to Be Emailing You." It's a stream of consciousness that a lot of us have lived through and thought about writing down and never did. Dunigan wrote it down. That's the whole joke and also the whole point: she takes the specific texture of modern anxiety and makes it funny without defusing it. You laugh because it's true, not because it's been safely resolved into a punchline.
The essays are standalone, which means you can drop in and out without losing anything. That also means the collection doesn't build toward anything in particular, which is either a feature or a limitation depending on what you want from the format. I found it freeing. Each piece asks only for the attention it takes to read it, nothing more.
Dunigan is genuinely likeable on the page. She is not trying to be cool, despite the title, and that lack of trying is what makes her affable rather than exhausting. She writes about belonging, self-performance, the absurdity of modern visibility, and the universal experience of doing embarrassing things and then thinking about them for the rest of your life. She also hates tomatoes. I relate to this on a personal level. She at least tried to like them. I have not extended that courtesy.
This is not my usual reading territory but Dunigan made it easy to be in. Modern, witty, quick, and honest in the specific way humor has to be honest to actually land.
May 29, 2026
Let me start off by saying I don't normally enjoy audiobooks when read by the author, even nonfiction (I might go so far as to say I hate them). However, when the book is funny and the author is funny, we find the exception to the rule. This audiobook was like sitting in a diner at 3am listening to a new friend tell you great stories.
Before reading (listening) to this book, I had never heard of Maeve Dunigan. The title intrigued me--because who doesn't want to be cool--so I requested the audiobook from #NetGalley. And I am happy I did, This book is hilarious and smart and silly and informative. As a girl dad, with a daughter who is six going on sixteen, I tried to pay close attention to what life is like for young women today. And I'm a little bit less depressed than I was before listening (but that can change any minute in our world today).
What I loved:
-The book's chapters/essays are perfect in length. The essays never drag and always keep you interested.
-The topics were diverse. I feel like almost anyone can enjoy this book.
-The humor works for almost anyone, too.
What I'm very concerned about:
-What the author chooses to put mustard on. This was very, very concerning!!! (Read the book and you'll find out.)
#ReadThistoLookCool
Before reading (listening) to this book, I had never heard of Maeve Dunigan. The title intrigued me--because who doesn't want to be cool--so I requested the audiobook from #NetGalley. And I am happy I did, This book is hilarious and smart and silly and informative. As a girl dad, with a daughter who is six going on sixteen, I tried to pay close attention to what life is like for young women today. And I'm a little bit less depressed than I was before listening (but that can change any minute in our world today).
What I loved:
-The book's chapters/essays are perfect in length. The essays never drag and always keep you interested.
-The topics were diverse. I feel like almost anyone can enjoy this book.
-The humor works for almost anyone, too.
What I'm very concerned about:
-What the author chooses to put mustard on. This was very, very concerning!!! (Read the book and you'll find out.)
#ReadThistoLookCool
June 26, 2026
The pros:
- I laughed out loud multiple times.
- The One Direction fan fic and Victoria's Secret chapters were hilarious and extremely relatable.
The cons:
- This collection of essays and musings really feels more like 5 episodes of a podcast in a trench coat. Did they need to be formally published? Not really, but many were still a fun listen.
- Some of the stories were so hyper-specific and personal to the author that I'm not really sure why anyone who doesn't know the author personally would want to hear them. Great conversation for Thanksgiving or brunch with friends, but did I care to hear about it as a random bystander? Not particularly.
I requested this audio specifically for the One Direction fan fic mention in the blurb, thinking it would play a pretty significant role in the essays. Unfortunately, it really only constituted 5% or so of the book and was not referenced again after the early chapters. There were some other chapters that were unexpected and really funny, but if you're coming in hoping for a tell-all from a key insider of the deeply unhinged world of the chronically online 1D fandom, this probably isn't going to end up being what you hoped.
- I laughed out loud multiple times.
- The One Direction fan fic and Victoria's Secret chapters were hilarious and extremely relatable.
The cons:
- This collection of essays and musings really feels more like 5 episodes of a podcast in a trench coat. Did they need to be formally published? Not really, but many were still a fun listen.
- Some of the stories were so hyper-specific and personal to the author that I'm not really sure why anyone who doesn't know the author personally would want to hear them. Great conversation for Thanksgiving or brunch with friends, but did I care to hear about it as a random bystander? Not particularly.
I requested this audio specifically for the One Direction fan fic mention in the blurb, thinking it would play a pretty significant role in the essays. Unfortunately, it really only constituted 5% or so of the book and was not referenced again after the early chapters. There were some other chapters that were unexpected and really funny, but if you're coming in hoping for a tell-all from a key insider of the deeply unhinged world of the chronically online 1D fandom, this probably isn't going to end up being what you hoped.
June 2, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I'm not one for audiobooks usually, however this one sounded promising and I particularly liked that it was narrated by the author herself. Maeve does a fantastic job of discussing and reflecting on some overthinkings from her life in a way that feels witty, heartfelt, and genuine - all whilst sounding like a quirky friend that you haven't seen in a long time.
Admittedly, I did feel very cool listening to this; if someone like Maeve Dunnigham can find humour in her appendix rupturing in a McDonalds then I definitely need to be kinder and more forgiving of my own mishaps and remember that we are all just humans doing the best we can. I listened to this over two days and it's a good job I did not have many plans as I spent a lot of this book giggling to myself - Maeve is very funny and incredibly relatable to the average millennial woman. And, similar to the author, I too have weak decorative arms, and am staying alive purely out of spite.
I'm not one for audiobooks usually, however this one sounded promising and I particularly liked that it was narrated by the author herself. Maeve does a fantastic job of discussing and reflecting on some overthinkings from her life in a way that feels witty, heartfelt, and genuine - all whilst sounding like a quirky friend that you haven't seen in a long time.
Admittedly, I did feel very cool listening to this; if someone like Maeve Dunnigham can find humour in her appendix rupturing in a McDonalds then I definitely need to be kinder and more forgiving of my own mishaps and remember that we are all just humans doing the best we can. I listened to this over two days and it's a good job I did not have many plans as I spent a lot of this book giggling to myself - Maeve is very funny and incredibly relatable to the average millennial woman. And, similar to the author, I too have weak decorative arms, and am staying alive purely out of spite.
April 21, 2026
I laughed and I cried and then I laughed some more.
I don’t read comedy books. Truly, almost ever. I especially don’t read comedic nonfiction. You might think this makes me uptight or sad or serious, but it’s because so many I’ve tried have come across as cringe-y or or childish.
‘Read This to Look Cool’ was a breath of fresh air in this genre for me. I found myself laughing out loud, and even read an entire essay aloud to my boyfriend because it was so creative and funny (‘French’s Yellow’ if you’re curious).
I flew through this. Usually I’ll read an essay book slowly, but this was just so damn relatable and funny I couldn’t help but keep reading. I finished in less than 2 days and wish there was more. Multiple essays made me cry as well— ‘Three Duets’ made me physically put my book down.
Introspective, beautiful, and all too relatable, I think everyone can find a piece of themselves in this book (I know I did).
*A big thank you to Sourcebooks for sending me an ARC!*
I don’t read comedy books. Truly, almost ever. I especially don’t read comedic nonfiction. You might think this makes me uptight or sad or serious, but it’s because so many I’ve tried have come across as cringe-y or or childish.
‘Read This to Look Cool’ was a breath of fresh air in this genre for me. I found myself laughing out loud, and even read an entire essay aloud to my boyfriend because it was so creative and funny (‘French’s Yellow’ if you’re curious).
I flew through this. Usually I’ll read an essay book slowly, but this was just so damn relatable and funny I couldn’t help but keep reading. I finished in less than 2 days and wish there was more. Multiple essays made me cry as well— ‘Three Duets’ made me physically put my book down.
Introspective, beautiful, and all too relatable, I think everyone can find a piece of themselves in this book (I know I did).
*A big thank you to Sourcebooks for sending me an ARC!*
May 31, 2026
Thanks to NetGalleyUK for my ARC.
I loved the name of this book so five stars for an attention grabbing title. Although I listened to the audio book no one would know if I am cool or not.
I was worried that I wouldn't enjoy the book as our age gap is quite large but I am young enough and she is old enough for me to understand her cultural references within the essays (I remember Scooby Doo for example). So for me it was enjoyable.
However, as much as I laughed alot and enjoyed her delivery I felt there wasn't enough life for me to really gravitate to but I put that down to me being older and not the author's writing. For a younger reader, this is a good collection of life stories to delve into and explore.
If she hadn't been so funny I perhaps wouldn't have stuck with it but her wit captivated me.
I loved the name of this book so five stars for an attention grabbing title. Although I listened to the audio book no one would know if I am cool or not.
I was worried that I wouldn't enjoy the book as our age gap is quite large but I am young enough and she is old enough for me to understand her cultural references within the essays (I remember Scooby Doo for example). So for me it was enjoyable.
However, as much as I laughed alot and enjoyed her delivery I felt there wasn't enough life for me to really gravitate to but I put that down to me being older and not the author's writing. For a younger reader, this is a good collection of life stories to delve into and explore.
If she hadn't been so funny I perhaps wouldn't have stuck with it but her wit captivated me.
June 15, 2026
I listened to the audiobook and absolutely loved it. I originally picked it up because Adam from Jet Lag: The Game recommended it on Instagram, and since I love the show, I thought I'd give it a try.
I found it incredibly funny and surprisingly relatable. There were so many moments where I thought, "Oh no, that's me😂 " The writing felt very genuine, and I really connected with the way Maeve thinks about and experiences the world. It made me laugh out loud more than once, but it also made me feel understood in a way I wasn't expecting.
Having Maeve narrate the audiobook herself made the experience even better. It felt like listening to someone tell me about their life in the most entertaining, honest, and engaging way possible. Her delivery added so much to the humour and sincerity of the book.
I found it incredibly funny and surprisingly relatable. There were so many moments where I thought, "Oh no, that's me😂 " The writing felt very genuine, and I really connected with the way Maeve thinks about and experiences the world. It made me laugh out loud more than once, but it also made me feel understood in a way I wasn't expecting.
Having Maeve narrate the audiobook herself made the experience even better. It felt like listening to someone tell me about their life in the most entertaining, honest, and engaging way possible. Her delivery added so much to the humour and sincerity of the book.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Despite my love for comedic fiction, I rarely pick up a humorous nonfiction book, mostly because that's just not something that was offered to me until I believed my taste in books had already been firmly solidified. Maeve Dunigan has convinced me that my taste is more mutable than I thought.
I discovered Maeve's work after watching a comedy set she did and decided to request this ARC, and I'm so glad I did! It's rare for a book to make me laugh out loud in public, but this managed to do it several times. Amid Maeve's witty observations, though, her more heartfelt essays were the true gem of this book; I adored all the essays that touched on the things and people she loves. Read this to look cool, yes, but also, read this because it's just really good.
I discovered Maeve's work after watching a comedy set she did and decided to request this ARC, and I'm so glad I did! It's rare for a book to make me laugh out loud in public, but this managed to do it several times. Amid Maeve's witty observations, though, her more heartfelt essays were the true gem of this book; I adored all the essays that touched on the things and people she loves. Read this to look cool, yes, but also, read this because it's just really good.
May 24, 2026
I listened to the audiobook of this, read by the author, and I could not stop. Maeve Dunigan’s voice (both literally and literary) is warm, self-deprecating, and razor-sharp.
This collection toggles between moments that are laugh-out-loud funny and unexpectedly moving. The essay about enduring a ruptured appendix at McDonald’s to avoid seeming dramatic is peak millennia energy that surfaces and resurfaces throughout the books. It’s the kind of book that feels like a series of chaotic conversations with your funniest friend, a little bit reminiscent of David Sedaris.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Media for the ALC.
This collection toggles between moments that are laugh-out-loud funny and unexpectedly moving. The essay about enduring a ruptured appendix at McDonald’s to avoid seeming dramatic is peak millennia energy that surfaces and resurfaces throughout the books. It’s the kind of book that feels like a series of chaotic conversations with your funniest friend, a little bit reminiscent of David Sedaris.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Media for the ALC.
June 8, 2026
The audiobook was a trip! From the 1st chapter I was cracking up with the author telling the reader tips on how to look cool by showing off the cover of the book or yell in a crowd. There was a lot of funny lighthearted moments in her stories that I was laughing out loud. As the author opens up about the way she saw the world from a young age. With all the humor involved there was also parts that involved reflection and true struggles of getting older. I found myself relating to this book as I compare my own life experiences, minus a ruptured appendix at McDonald's. Would recommend the audiobook 100%, it was such a fun story.
October 21, 2025
Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy!
So many funny stories and takes on life from Maeve. Ups, downs, and cringe worthy moments. A few of my favorite stories were walking and sleeping off her ruptured appendix and eating a weed treat at a concert. Both of these were hilarious as she thinks she can overcome the pain or uncomfortableness until her close ones have to intervene to calm her nerves and ensure she is safe. This was a quick read and the author checks in throughout, it as though you are chatting with a friend.
So many funny stories and takes on life from Maeve. Ups, downs, and cringe worthy moments. A few of my favorite stories were walking and sleeping off her ruptured appendix and eating a weed treat at a concert. Both of these were hilarious as she thinks she can overcome the pain or uncomfortableness until her close ones have to intervene to calm her nerves and ensure she is safe. This was a quick read and the author checks in throughout, it as though you are chatting with a friend.
May 15, 2026
I saw one of Maeve Dunigan's hilarious New Yorker pieces mentioned in a Reddit thread and the commenter mentioned she had a book coming soon, so straight to NetGalley I went to request it.
I don't read nonfiction a lot, and essays even less, and I think this book of funny essays and quips was a first for me. I really enjoyed it! Dunigan's voice is silly and genuine. I could not say that me and Dunigan have much in common, yet the experiences she describes are very relatable. I loved how much heart was packed into the personal stories and how sarcastic the "interlude" pieces were.
I don't read nonfiction a lot, and essays even less, and I think this book of funny essays and quips was a first for me. I really enjoyed it! Dunigan's voice is silly and genuine. I could not say that me and Dunigan have much in common, yet the experiences she describes are very relatable. I loved how much heart was packed into the personal stories and how sarcastic the "interlude" pieces were.
July 9, 2026
This was such a fun book! I laughed out loud (many times, and multiple times got weird looks from my fiancé), I cried, I cringed, and I related to more than I’d like to admit. I love that it’s written in bite-sized chunks, which to me feels a lot easier to pick up than a whole book sometimes, since it’s less of a commitment. This did lead to me staying up late reading once, because I said one more chapter a few too many times. I’m sad that I finished it, and I can’t wait to pass it around obnoxiously to all of my friends telling them to read it too!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
4.25/5 Stars
If you want to read a book that feels like you're having a series of totally random conversations with a quirky friend, this book is for you! The author isn’t afraid to call herself out in a playful way, making many of the stories feel relatable and genuine. I also appreciated the mix of short and long pieces, which kept the pacing engaging and made it easy to pick up and put down. Overall, an entertaining and lighthearted read.
If you want to read a book that feels like you're having a series of totally random conversations with a quirky friend, this book is for you! The author isn’t afraid to call herself out in a playful way, making many of the stories feel relatable and genuine. I also appreciated the mix of short and long pieces, which kept the pacing engaging and made it easy to pick up and put down. Overall, an entertaining and lighthearted read.
June 8, 2026
4.5⭐️ This was so much fun! I was not familiar with Maeve Dunigan, but the blurb for this book was hilarious and I just had to read (listen)! It was all over the place, but in the absolute best way! Like, when you finally get together with an old friend you haven’t seen in far too long, and you’re both trying to catch up on every thing all at once! It’s the best kind of random chaos. I related to so much of it, as our brains clearly work similarly😂 I laughed out loud so many times. Highly recommend picking this us if you want something light and quick, but especially if you want to laugh and have a good time. I especially recommend the audio version, as Maeve narrates it herself, and I couldn’t imagine anyone else telling it like she does!
Thank you so much NetGalley, Tantor Media, and Maeve Dunigan for the ALC of Read This to Look Cool.
Thank you so much NetGalley, Tantor Media, and Maeve Dunigan for the ALC of Read This to Look Cool.
July 1, 2026
Written by Zarek’s college Sketchup friend, this was a fun read. A collection of comedic essays. It was a breeze and a joy to read. I’d recommend to those who enjoy this type of book and some that don’t (I thought I wouldn’t like the short essay format).
The title is fitting. I felt cool, laughing on the train as a breezed through this funny and cute collection.
So enjoyable that it felt like I took a break from my book-a-month challenge.
The title is fitting. I felt cool, laughing on the train as a breezed through this funny and cute collection.
So enjoyable that it felt like I took a break from my book-a-month challenge.
June 4, 2026
Maeve is very talented. Some of these essays were the funniest things I've ever read.
This book was also quite inconsistent. Despite its short length, some parts faffed around a lot, as if to fill space.
Ultimately, I'd watch a standup by her. I'd even pay for one. This wasn't bad at all. It was delightful to read indeed.
This book was also quite inconsistent. Despite its short length, some parts faffed around a lot, as if to fill space.
Ultimately, I'd watch a standup by her. I'd even pay for one. This wasn't bad at all. It was delightful to read indeed.
July 6, 2026
This book was humorous yet relatable, whilst being witty and honest.
I really loved the narration and felt like I was listening to stories from a friend.
I will definitely be listening to it again sometime and look forward to reading more from Maeve.
Thank you to NetGalley for the audiobook, all opinions are my own.
I really loved the narration and felt like I was listening to stories from a friend.
I will definitely be listening to it again sometime and look forward to reading more from Maeve.
Thank you to NetGalley for the audiobook, all opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I'm a fan of Maeve's writing and comedy, so I was excited to see her book on NetGalley. This was funny! I appreciated the bite-size essays in between longer pieces; I think more essay collections should do that, because it really helped pace these out. It reminded me a lot of I MIGHT REGRET THIS by Abbi Jacobson and I will be recommending to fans of humor writing, as well as funny-essay-collection fans. My favorite essays: "Victoria's Secret", "A Story About a Cat Named Mr. Cat", and "What I Think Will Happen If I Learn to Do a Backflip".
Thanks to Sourcebooks via NetGalley for the eARC.
Thanks to Sourcebooks via NetGalley for the eARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
NetGalley Arc Review. Thank you to the publishers! Hilarious, witty, and wonderful. Maeve is so great. And can I just say I feel SO much relief knowing I'm not the only one to be swindled into a Victoria's Secret Credit Card?
May 14, 2026
4.25⭐️
I don’t typically like non fiction with this sort of tone (especially essay collections), but I enjoyed the pop culture side of things as it was very Gen Z/Zillenial friendly, and there were some very insightful and hopeful moments
I don’t typically like non fiction with this sort of tone (especially essay collections), but I enjoyed the pop culture side of things as it was very Gen Z/Zillenial friendly, and there were some very insightful and hopeful moments
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